For almost a century, scientists have been puzzled by a process that is crucial to much of the life in Earth's oceans: Why does calcium carbonate, the tough material of seashells and corals, sometimes take ...

Paul Simmonds looks at his molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system the way other guys do a candy apple red Porsche. The sci-fi looking machine used to design and create new materials at the atomic level lights ...